WHEELER & MITCHELSON

CHARTERED

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

FOURTH & BROADWAY

POST OFFICE BOX 610

O F C O U N S E L CHAS C. WHEELER (1897 - 1 9 5 3 ) PITTSBURG , K ANSAS

FRED MITCHELSON (1922 - 2 0 1 6 ) ROBERT S. TOMASSI 66762-0610 KENNETH A. WEBB JOHN H. MITCHELSON ERIC W. CLAWSON T E L E P H O N E 6 2 0 - 231- 4 6 5 0 KEVIN F. MITCHELSON MARY JO GOEDEKE MARSHALL W. BLINZLER FACSIMILE 620 - 2 3 1 - 1 4 5 3 DANIEL S. CREITZ

September 17, 2018

Hon. Sen. Carolyn McGinn, Co-Chair Hon. Rep. Richard Proehl, Co-Chair Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force State Capitol, Room 68 West 300 S.W. Tenth Street Topeka, Kansas 66612

Re: Testimony Before Task Force Kevin F. Mitchelson September 20 - Pittsburg Session

Members of the Task Force:

My name is Kevin Mitchelson. I am an attorney with the Wheeler & Mitchelson, Chartered law firm in Pittsburg, Kansas. In addition to our law practice, our family has other business interests, including General Machinery and Supply Co., Inc., an independent industrial supply company that has served the Four State area since 1914, and a rather significant row-crop farm operation.

All of our law firm's manufacturing and trucking company clients depend upon good and safe roads. All of General Machinery's industrial supplies arrive by truck and are delivered by truck. Our crops are hauled to the elevator by truck. All of our business interests require and depend upon good and safe highways here in .

But that is not the only reason I am here. Like so many in this room, I am passionate about highways across Kansas.

By way of my background, it was my honor to serve for six (6) years as a member of the State Highway Advisory Commission, and for five (5) of those years as its Chairman. I also served as a member of the T-2000 Task Force. During that period I developed a great deal of respect for the professional and objective manner in which the Kansas Department of Transportation does its work.

When I once called a newly appointed member of the Highway Advisory Commission to welcome and congratulate him, he commented about "the irony that the Chairman of the Highway Commission is from a place that you cannot get to." Through those years, I applied

Hon. Sen. Carolyn McGinn, Co-Chair Hon. Rep. Richard Proehl, Co-Chair Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force September 17, 2018 Page 2

my "lawyer objectivity" as the Commission reviewed and approved major highway projects state wide, and local economic development and geometric improvement projects.

I firmly believe that highway construction is absolutely the best economic development tool that we have. In that vein, I am here to suggest and encourage the committee to support the completion of the U.S. Highway 69 four-lane all the way to its intersection with Interstate Highway 44 at the -Kansas- border.

Over the last thirty years, the State has rebuilt the original two (2) lanes of U.S. 69 all the way from Arma to Johnson County, and added the additional two (2) lanes from Johnson County down to Fort Scott. Governor Brownback and Governor Colyer each publicly announced their commitment to complete the eleven (11) mile stretch from Fort Scott to Arma. KDOT has made a significant investment in the U.S. 69 corridor, and it must continue to be a priority for the State of Kansas to complete this project. The benefit of U.S. 69 to eastern Kansas and in fact to all of Kansas will never be fully realized if we do not complete this project.

I know that there are a number of communities across our State that have projects that are important to them. Few, if any, will have the impact that the completion of U.S. Highway 69 will have. Completion of U.S. 69 is as important to Overland Park and Olathe as it is to Galena and Pittsburg. Completion of U.S. 69 is vital to Pittsburg State University, Fort Scott Community College, Labette Community College, Via Christi Hospital, Mercy Hospital, the various manufacturing companies--literally all of eastern Kansas. Please see to it that the completion of the U.S. 69 four-lane continues to be a priority for our State and is at the top of the list when you issue your report. Thank you.

Sincerely,

WHEELER & MITCHELSON, CHARTERED

Kevin Mitchelson

By: Kevin F. Mitchelson KFM:ks

US Highway 69 Assoc\2018-09-17 KFM-Task Force